Honestly, I think the only real way to avoid these templates and still get the message across that there is something wrong, is to repurpose the templates so that the message is displayed on the talk page, that way editors still know to fix what needs fixing and the article, to the reader-population, won't be bothered by the overly annoying use of the boxes. Repurposing the templates is something I would support for the majority of the templates.
Honestly, why do we need a big template on the front of an article anyways? Doesn't discussion about how the article should improve in quality and maintain a more neutral point of view take place on the talk page to begin with? Plastering these articles with obsessive templates like {{current}}, {{npov}}, {{wikify}}, etc. are just useless all around for any reader of the website to see.
Zoney zoney.ie@gmail.com wrote: Does it not drive anyone else up the wall the incessant templates jammed onto the top of our articles? Sure some of the articles have issues that readers as well as editors should be aware of, but it's really ridiculous having these Vogonic bureaucratic Wiki-speak instructions/jargon stamped before the article text for all and sundry to enjoy. Half the time the templates aren't even warranted, or at the least the issue is not important enough to demand anything other than a note on the talk page. It's far too easy for people just to slap on templates onto articles in a sort of wiki-process-allowed defacement of content.
I mean the trivia section warning for one thing. I consider myself firmly in the anti-trivia camp, and indeed I'd nearly support removing offending sections to talk pages as well when asking people to integrate the brainless factoids; but really, there's no need to give instructions on the situation to all our readers. It's just not that important! Templates in fact compound the problem by highlighting the trivia sections! It makes no sense!
As regards the templates that are somewhat necessary (don't use our second-hand info about hurricanes in your area, etc) can a specific area separate from the article content be used for the message? Something like how the fundraising message is displayed?
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